Sir Simon Bollom appointed Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support

The Cabinet Secretary, with the agreement of the Prime Minister, has today announced the appointment of Sir Simon Bollom as the new Chief Executive for Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), an arm’s length body of the Ministry of Defence

"I am delighted to announce Simon’s appointment as the new Chief Executive of DE&S. His previous roles, as Chief of Materiel (Air) and more recently Chief of Materiel (Ships), means that he will bring to the role a deep understanding and knowledge of DE&S and its business. I wish him every success."

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

"DE&S is responsible for delivering the substantial, complex and demanding Equipment Programme. I am delighted that Simon has been appointed to this role. I look forward to working with him on the organisation’s important task of driving performance in the supply chain, building capability to support our armed forces and delivering value for the taxpayer."

DE&S Chair, Paul Skinner, said:

"I would like to welcome Simon into his new role, and I am delighted that we have managed to secure somebody who already has great experience in delivering equipment and equipment support. I look forward to continuing to work with him as we carry on our important work to support the armed forces.

"I should also like to thank Michael Bradley for his excellent oversight of DE&S since January following Tony Douglas’ departure."

Simon Bollom said:

"I am absolutely delighted to have secured this extremely important role. The work of DE&S is vital to our nation and I am proud to have been given the opportunity to lead such an important organisation."

Simon Bollom has held the role of Chief of Materiel (Ships) in DE&S since April 2017. He will take up his new post on the 21st May. The appointment follows an external recruitment competition.